Page 32 - QARANC Vol 14 No 13 2016
P. 32

                                30 QARANC THE GAZETTE
 Chester Branch
Chairman: Col (Retd) Sylvia Short OBE Secretary: Mrs Lynn Orfanelli
National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association
The Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the ending of hostilities in Borneo, and Re-dedication of the Memorial Plaque of the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans Association
Liz Ashworth, Dorothy Bishop and Christine Bramley went to London to attend The Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the ending of hostilities in Borneo, and re-dedication of the Memorial Plaque of the National Malaya and Borneo Veterans Association.
They arrived on 27 April and attended a Gala Dinner at the Ibis Earls Court Hotel.
On 28 April, they attended the Commemoration in the Chapel of St. Faith in St. Paul’s Cathedral, followed by a reception at The Mansion House. This was a service to remember those who did not return home, and who are still missing. It was also to thank God for those who did return.
Some facts about the war in Borneo:
It was an intense 12-year jungle war fought by the British, the Commonwealth and the Malayan forces against the Malayan Communist Party.
The British suffered more casualties in Malaya than any other war/campaign since the end of the 2nd World War; 1660 British, 2221 British and Commonwealth troops. The majority of the British casualties were National Servicemen.
The young inexperienced National Servicemen had a very hard campaign against an often very elusive, but very deadly enemy. They struggled through dense jungle in humid heat, climbing hills and mountains, wading through rivers and swamps, and under attack from leeches, ants and mosquitoes. They were drenched by monsoons, and had to contend with scrub typhus, jaundice, dysentery, snake bites, scorpion stings, jungle sores, and foot rot.
It was the last campaign to see the Spitfire and Hurricane in action.
On 29 April there were visits to the Imperial War Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Science Museum and Covent Garden.
Annual General Meeting held on
13 April 2016
Another year has passed us by, which for the Chester branch has been quiet (unusually I hear you say). Firstly, we welcomed new members to the branch and old friends who have returned.
At our AGM in April we appointed Vera Wormall as our Publicity and Public Relations Officer. We also held a minutes silence for Marie Page, Margaret Mackay-Dick and Marion Beveridge. We were also informed that Susan Karran has been awarded the MBE for services to the Army Cadet Force (Nursing). Our warmest congratulations to Susan.
By the time this goes to print we will have had a sail and lunch on the canal in Chester which we always enjoy. In December we will once again return to the Queens Hotel in Chester for our Christmas Lunch.
Sylvia Short has been chairman of the Chester Branch for 21 years; Lynn Orfanelli thanked her on behalf of the members for all her hard work over the years, and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.
Vera Wormall
Branch Media Officer
     Dates for the Diary
14 Sept 2016-Autumn Lunch (a canal trip)
10 Dec 2016-Christmas Lunch at The Queen’s Hotel, Chester
 Midland Branch
Chairman: Sue Reading Secretary: Pauline Gretton
The year began with the AGM in March and with great pleasure we welcomed two new members onto the committee, Collette Froggatt and Lyndsey Richardson. We are confident that they will inject some youth and energy into the committee for the future. The AGM was followed by a convivial and enjoyable lunch and raffle.
In May ten members met for our annual visit to the University College Birmingham to watch a demonstration by the students. The students are studying for a future career in the food industry and this demonstration is part of their final assessments. This year the theme was food from across Europe. At the end of the demonstrations
the food is raffled, so we all return home with something tasty.
After the demonstration we adjourned to a restaurant for a celebratory dinner as two of us were celebrating big “0” birthdays, so we also raised a glass or two of bubbly. A good evening was enjoyed by all.
The committee will meet in September to plan events for the future including a Christmas lunch. The details for the lunch will be announced at the next meeting and also the lunch on Saturday 5 Nov. There will be a guest speaker at the meeting; our member Col (retd) Phillip Saunders will be telling us about his time as a Justice of the Peace; it should be very interesting.
Pauline Gretton (Hon Sec Midland Branch)
 

































































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